Obi Faults Lagos Demolitions, Says Law Must Not Trump Human Compassion

Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the recent demolition of parts of the ASPAMDA Market at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex, saying that legal justifications should never override moral responsibility.

Obi, who visited the site of the demolished market days earlier, described the destruction of traders’ plazas as a test of government’s commitment to justice, equity, and human dignity.

In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, the former governor urged authorities to enforce the law with compassion and fairness, noting that indiscriminate demolitions inflict “undeserved pain” and destroy livelihoods.

“Those seeking to justify the current demolitions in ASPAMDA Market Lagos, and similar situations across Nigeria must be reminded that the law is not an end in itself; it is a means to ensure order, peace, and the protection of human dignity,” Obi said.

He added that enforcing the law without regard for human welfare defeats its purpose.

“When the law becomes an instrument to inflict undeserved pain – enforced without compassion or regard for human welfare – it ceases to serve justice,” he noted.

Obi questioned whether demolition was the only available remedy, arguing that less destructive options could have been pursued.

“Even if, for the sake of argument, some of the affected traders failed to obtain the proper approvals, which is unlikely, was demolition the only option? Does it truly serve justice to destroy billions of naira worth of investments and livelihoods when less destructive remedies could have sufficed?” he asked.

The former governor likened the demolitions to a punishment disproportionate to the offence, stressing that governance must balance legality with empathy.

“It is like punishing a man who stole a bicycle with death instead of imprisonment — a sentence grossly disproportionate to the offence,” he said.
“A government should not pride itself on being legally correct if, in the process, it becomes morally wrong. Justice, to be just, must be tempered with mercy.”

The Lagos State Government had earlier defended the exercise, saying it was carried out for technical and regulatory reasons and was not targeted at any ethnic group. The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Olumide Oluyinka, said the demolition was part of broader efforts to enforce compliance with planning laws.

Obi concluded by urging leaders to show empathy in wielding power, saying, “It is in how we treat the vulnerable that the true character of leadership is revealed.”